Snake Charmer

Chapter seven

Jessica saw quickly that Sam was unlike any man she had ever met. Men in her century would be terrified if a girl knew how to read and write. Yet Sam despite his intelligence seeked her help in things like public speaking. She also noticed that despite being a hunter he never looked at others as inferior to him. During one of the practice sessions in the library, she spoke up.
"Sam can I be honest?" She asked. He cleared his throat and looked down at his cards.
"Am I looking down too much again?" Sam asked. Whether it was a joke or not Jessica laughed and shook her head.
"A little bit but that's not what I mean, you're a resaonale intelligent man." She responded with a smirk.

"Reasonable?" Sam asked matching her expression.
"What's your story? You obviously don't need my help in your classes, you are smarter than me." She responded. Sam seemed reluctant to talk about his past which she understood better than anyone. However to make him feel better she placed her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to intrude that was rude." Her cheeks flushed as she hadn't had a genuine conversation with a human in years. He made no move to push her away which made Jessica's heart beat.
"No no its alright I just don't talk about it with anyone really, its not a happy story." Sam explained.

"Neither is mine." Jessica responded after a small gasp left her lips to avoid the awkward silence. Sam looked at her and Jessica sighed under her breath a bit. Even with her sunglasses she could see the grief evident in his eyes. It was possible that he had seen as much death and destruction as she had.
"You wanna talk about it?" Sam asked.
"No but it seems I've been backed into a corner so let's make a compromise, you tell me a bit of your story and I'll tell you some of mine." Jessica responded. It was a dangerous move for her to make especially since Sam was a hunter. If he wanted to he could probably find something to chop her head off. Yet her heart couldn't seem him as anything but familiar due to his resemblance to Iphicles.

"You drive a hard bargain alright." Sam responded. "The family business kinda has taken me all over, never stayed in one place long." Jessica sees an opportunity to tease him as she saw humans do it to each other.
"Always the new kid huh? Explains the loner act." She said.
"Hey I'll have you know that I'm not a lone skater boy." He laughed and pushed her hand away. Jessica gave him an unconvinced expression which made him playfully cut her hair.
"Careful Blondie I'm not afraid to use scissors." He teased. Jessica gasped and placed a hand on her heart.
"I would advise against it, my hair won't like that." She responded.

Sam laughed and she waited for him to tell the rest of his story, at least part of it. He talked about how his father wasn't really around and acted more like a drill sergeant.
"I mean I know he's my dad but he was always away that I feel like I know nothing about him." Sam said.
"Who took care of you?" She asked. Jessica was careful not to ask about where his mother was. Just in case she had walked out on him or had died. With having absent parents herself she knew better to breach the subject.
"My older brother Dean, he can be a pain in my ass but he is my best friend." Sam explained.
"He sounds amazing and like my older sisters." Jessica responded.

Her eyes watered as she thought about the memories she had with her sisters. They were times where they cared about her more than their own mother.
"Your sisters?" Sam asked. Jessica stiffened at his smile but moved closer to him. His presence was gentle and soothing, despite his appearance saying otherwise.
"Yeah my parents would have won an award for absent parenting because they didn't like me," she explained. "I never understood why but I guess now I might know. I'm different than them, the outliner of the family." Jessica wiped a few tears she was shocked she was able to shed. Then to aid to her shock she felt Sam touch her shoulder in a comforting gesture.

"There's nothing wrong with being different and if anyone understands what's it like to be the odd one out in their family its me." Sam responded. Jessica smiled at his kind words and took a risk, unlike with Poseidon she leaned into his hold. If she wasn't so disgusted with herself for being a monster and if he wasn't a hunter. She would have thanked him by asking him out to dinner.
"I guess we have that in common but you should know to take your own advice because I don't think you're odd." Jessica said. The two went on conversing like old friends until it was nearly sunset, and Jessica felt eyes on her. She looked over in the distance to see another girl waving and winking at Sam.

"Hey Sam we still on for the study date next Friday?" The girl asked. She was a beautiful girl with long dark hair, blue eyes, a long lace dress and pink lips. A twinge of annoyance ran through Jessica at the thought of this girl going a date with Sam. She wasn't competition when Jessica didn't have a chance due to her monster side. Yet Jessica found herself picturing an image of this girl as a statue.
"Yeah sure thanks Sarah." Sam responded. Jessica looked around for a trash can to vomit it once Sarah walked away.
"She seems nice, who is that?" Jessica asked.
"Just my lap partner in Science why?" Sam asked. The digusied gorgon hid the redness of cheeks and claimed it was nothing.

"Just think she should have been more respectful of our time together." Jessica said. This makes Sam smirk and he laughs a bit.
"Is someone jealous?" He teased. Jessica tsked and playfully pushed him, there was no reason for her to be jealous.
"Don't get so excited I don't get jealous, because trust me its not pretty." She claimed. This only made Sam tease her more and he acted out giving her a flower.
"Shall I compare thee to a summers day?" Sam asked in a fake British accent .
"Aww if you had a beard maybe you would look like him." She teased back and took the non existent flower. "You must be a theater kid if your Shakespeare impression is that bad."

She picked up some grass and threw it at him which turned into a playful fight. To pass the time she showed him a small embroidery she made of his name.
"Wow you did this?" Sam asked. Jessica nodded and handed him the small cloth.
"I have a lot of free time and I tend to pick up new hobbies here and there so I thought I would try embroilment." Jessica responded. "Its not the best but its something."
"No no I like it, I'm impressed not many people are willingly creative." Sam responded. Jessica's heart fluttered and she teased him about his interest in modern technology.
"Hey I'll have you know I was great at tech." Sam responded. The day ended when Jessica's watch beeped.

***

That night Sam couldn't stop smiling even though he hardly knew Jessica. He texted Dean about it who in response told him to ask for her number and give her flowers. Sam wasn't sure if should jump into a possible relationship at the moment. He really liked Jessica, but something about her felt off. Not off in a way that she a stalker but in a way that he had a sense she was hiding something. If she was he didn't really have room to talk because he was a hunter.
"When she was hurt today I swear I thought fear in her eyes," Sam thought to himself. "I hope no one is hurting her." The thought made his skin crawl and he stayed up during research on certain events. He yawned through the whole process and failed to notice Queenie watching him.